Saskatchewan’s teachers will be taking another vote today and tomorrow (May 15 and 16) to determine the path future actions may take in the continuing reach for a new contract.
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation will seek a mandate from teachers to carry on with sanctions into the coming school year, given that the current mandate for sanctions expires on June 30.
A release from the STF says the vote is simply preparation in light of “the possibility that government’s intransigence could continue into the next school year now that its final offer has been decisively rejected by teachers.”
The release says that the mandate resulting from the vote will remain in place.
“For reasons that are beyond understanding, the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association seem committed to dragging this process out as long as they can, leaving students, teachers, families and the education sector in limbo,” says STF President Samantha Becotte in the release. “Teachers want to teach, not strike. We want to be in classrooms, not picket lines. We want to focus on the success of our students, not fight tooth and nail for the bare minimum needed to do our jobs. But this is about more than what we want. This is about what’s right for Saskatchewan’s students, the sustainability of our profession and the future of publicly funded schools.”
When voting closes on May 16, the results will be shared with teachers and the public. On Wednesday morning, the STF stated that the two sides would be resuming talks over a two day period. The STF states that no new sanctions will be undertaken while discussions are in progress. Sanctions will resume only if there is a breakdown in talks.